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Meet the Bham Now Team
Pat Byington
What has been the most fulfilling moment in your career?
The most fulfilling moment was in 1992, when I was a part of passing the Forever Wild Constitutional Amendment and the Little River Canyon National Preserve. Today, 25 years later, Forever Wild has saved over 300,000 acres statewide and Little River Canyon is now being visited by over 500,000 people a year.
What is your “home” neighborhood?
Highland Park. My wife and I have now lived in the neighborhood for 27 years, including 25 years in the same house.
What else are you up to in Birmingham?
I am Mr. Soccer. Presently, I play and manage the ROJO soccer team (yes, we are named after our sponsor, the restaurant, ROJO), referee about 100-125 soccer games a year in the Birmingham area, and run the Highlands School Soccer Club. You can say I’m a little bit soccer crazy.
What makes you unique?
I love studying the history of Alabama’s environmental movement. It’s quite a remarkable story that, if not preserved, will be lost to future generations.
Wade Cline
What is/was your major? How did you choose it?
I chose to major in Marketing at Samford University. Why? Simply put, I love learning about people and the challenge of appealing to them. Marketing is the most relational aspect of business and that makes it very difficult, but interesting, to excel in the field.
Where is your “home” neighborhood?
I grew up and still live in Vestavia. Have you heard about all of those developments right off of 280 in the Altadena area!?
What is your favorite place to hang out in Birmingham?
There is this lounge I have been going to for about 2 years called the “Red Lion”. It is located in Homewood off of 31. The average age is around 40, but this makes for the perfect relaxing night with your friends.
What makes you unique?
Although my athletic ability is sub-par, I love to play golf. Other than that, my main hobbies revolve around marketing. I enjoy photography, cinematography, and writing. Some people may see this as work, as many of the things I do from day to day are helping benefit Bham Now through these hobbies.
Vicky Lewis
What is/was your major? How did you choose it?
I am a Marketing major with a concentration in Social Media Marketing. Ultimately, I chose marketing because it seemed like a great way to stay creative in the business world. I like starting things and making things and that is something I will get the chance to do in marketing.
What is your “home” neighborhood?
I am a proud Hoover-living Alabamian. I grew up in Prattville, a suburb of Montgomery.
What else are you up to in Birmingham?
I am also an intern at Bare Naked Noodles café. I handle their Marketing (and almost everything else). Other than that, I am a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham!
What makes you unique?
I LOVE to travel. Ask my friends and they will say I am always out of town. I also have family all over the US so it’s a great excuse to explore. I am also an avid reader when I have a free minute. I am currently working my way back through some classics. Current read: The Catcher in the Rye.
Kristina O’Quinn
What has been the most fulfilling moment in your career?
Most of my career has centered around teaching. Being my children’s teacher, I feel like my proudest moments have been related to them speaking up about social justice issues in conversations with adults. I feel very fulfilled to see them operating in the world without fear or prejudice.
What is your “home” neighborhood?
Darrell and I moved to Crestwood North in the Spring of 2001 from Baton Rouge, LA.
What else are you up to in Birmingham?
I teach a photography class for students at the Woodlawn YWCA through Alys Stephens Center’s ArtPlay program and French to 1st-12th grade students at Red Mountain Community School. I have a photography business where I really enjoy collaborating with clients to create art. When I’m not homeschooling my eleven-year-old son, I’m involved in social justice issues and civic programs across the city. My most recent project involves photo and video documentation of ex-offenders telling their stories about reintegrating into society after serving time in prison.
What makes you unique?
I’m always joking around and tend to put people at ease with my easy going, empathetic personality. I’ve got a positive attitude in times of adversity and start each day with a fresh perspective. I like solving problems and fixing things, am always willing to try something new and I never get bored. As a result of those qualities, I tend to be a “Jill of all trades, mistress of none.” My insatiable curiosity leads me to many places, people and ideas that other folks might never discover.
Hunter Holland
What is/was your major? How did you choose it?
I graduated from the University of Montevallo in May 2016 with my BBA in Marketing. My sophomore year (at community college), I was SGA President and we implemented a student discount card program and needed local businesses to participate. I headed the project by writing up the letter and cold calling or meeting with local business owners. It was a great feeling to go out in town and see the “participating business” plaques on the counters and know I had a part in that. I always liked being kind of behind the scenes in orchestrating big, beneficial things, and that project made me realize that marketing was the way to go.
What is your “home” neighborhood?
I grew up in Jasper, AL, but I live in the Southside/Five Points South area. I love it.
What else are you up to in Birmingham?
I work full-time as a Marketing Coordinator for a document management company, and I work box office at Iron City Bham. I also own my own Etsy shop where I make custom word garlands and banners inspired by pop culture and personality. When I’m not working, I like to catch a concert in town. I don’t get out near enough as I should, so as a 2017 resolution I decided to go to at least one local event a week and chronicle my adventures on Instagram with #ProducerHunterdoesBham. Give it a follow!
What makes you unique?
My name. People always expect me to be a boy, so it’s fun to see them get a little thrown off when they meet me or hear my voice. I also have huge dimples in my cheeks when I smile or talk and strangers like to comment on them (which always makes my day).
JH Daniel
What has been the most fulfilling moment in your career?
The most fulfilling moment of my career is the opportunity to write every day.
What is your “home” neighborhood?
Crestwood.
What else are you up to in Birmingham?
I’m working towards being a reading tutor, and I collect and sell vintage clothing for fun. When I’m not doing those things, I enjoy blogging about food and cooking.
What makes you unique?
I’m a chef’s wife, and I enjoy honing my knife skills in the kitchen with my husband.
Jordan Highsmith
What is your major? How did you choose it?
I attend Samford University and my major is journalism and mass communication. I decided on it long before I entered college. I’ve always shared a love for TV production and writing. At my high school we had a digital media program and I was a part of it. It really helped me explore the different parts of mass media and create a path for me in college.
What is your “home” neighborhood?
I’m from Missouri City, Texas. It’s a suburb outside of Houston.
What else are you up to in Birmingham?
I work at all of the home athletic events at my school so you can always catch me at a Samford sporting event. My friends and I love to eat at Taco Mama or Pieology then catch a movie, that’s our usual. I’m a bit of a foodie, so I’m always looking for the next cool restaurant.
What makes you unique?
I received an athletic scholarship to run track at Samford. I’ve run track since I was 5 years old so you can bet that fitness and exercise are very important to me. My dad played professional football and all of his kids went to college on athletic scholarships, so I guess it runs in the family.
Cary Etses
What has been the most fulfilling moment in your career?
I wrote a feature profile several years ago about a UAB football player who had a tough appearance (lots of tattoos, long dreadlocks), but was actually an extremely nice guy who painted in his spare time (he designed most of his tattoos). After the story was published, his mother contacted me and thanked me for what I wrote, saying that nobody had ever shown that side of her son. I doubt any compliment about my work will ever mean as much to me as that one.
What is your “home” neighborhood?
I’ve been living in Avondale since before Avondale was cool. Bought a house here with my wife 10 years ago, and have watched in amazement as the neighborhood has transformed around us.
What else are you up to in Birmingham?
Much of my time is devoted to writing, and trying to do my small part to promote Birmingham and Alabama by telling the stories of the people who live here. Other than that, I simply try to support as many local activities and businesses as possible, especially anything involving restaurants or the arts (including volunteer work for the Magic City Arts Connection).
What makes you unique?
My father and grandfather were both Primitive Baptist preachers, which was an … interesting experience. I also might be the only person in the world who has been on the island of Antigua one day, and then at Talladega Superspeedway 24 hours later.
Liz Brody
What is your major? How did you choose it?
I am a religion major by accident, but we don’t really believe in accidents in the religion department. Religion was also a good way to sneak in lots of foreign language. I was a linguistics major at Rutgers, but BSC doesn’t offer the degree. I also enjoy arguments. I mean debates.
What is your “home” neighborhood?
I’ve lived in Hoover, Mountain Brook, and Highland Park.
What else are you up to in Birmingham?
I teach Hebrew school and am in charge of youth summer art and Judaics at the LJCC as well as play chef for the local kosher community.
What makes you unique?
I do stand-up.
James Ozment
What is your major? How did you choose it?
I’m at Birmingham-Southern College right now, working on my English degree. I’ve always loved to read and write science fiction and fantasy novels, I’m kind of a huge nerd. After exploring the technical side of writing more in high school and at summer camps, I knew I wanted to do something that involved writing. Birmingham Southern doesn’t have a pure creative writing major (very few colleges do!), so English was the natural alternative.
What is your “home” neighborhood?
I’ve lived in Crestline almost all my life.
What else are you up to in Birmingham?
The over the mountain area has been my hangout all my life, although a couple of years back I started staying in Avondale more often. I also love to build plastic models as a hobby, and to read sci-fi and fantasy novels.
What makes you unique?
I’m one of the few people I know of who wanted to move up north, then saw Birmingham growing and said, “never mind, I’m good here.” Though I think that’s changing now, a lot more people are choosing to stay here.
And of course, our wonderful Founder & President, Cindy Martin
